Netas gun for glory with arsenals at home

INDORE/BHOPAL: While gunning for electoral victory in MP assembly polls, netas also ensure that they are suitably armed.
Orchards, farms, bungalows, mutual funds, tax-saving bonds, livestock, cars are sort of meh. The real bang in affidavits is in automatic pistols, revolvers, rifles and guns - and the love for these mini arsenals at home cut across party lines.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is contesting from Budhni, has perhaps the most humble firearm, a revolver costing Rs 5,500, while his rival, ex-PCC chief Arun Yadav, is armed with a rifle and revolver worth Rs 1 lakh.Many others have listed revolvers, pistols, and rifles ranging from a modest Rs 10,000 to as much as Rs 4.5 lakh apiece. An analysis by TOI shows firearms have been listed by most of the ministers in the Chouhan cabinet. In Dhar, Jhabua and Alirajpur, where tribals flaunt bows and arrows, poll candidates are owners of rifles and pistols for personal protection.
In the tribal belts, group violence and armed robbery are common.
Revolvers seem to be the favourite among ministers - Parliamentary affairs minister Narottam Mishra has one worth Rs 75,000 and home minister Bhupendra Singh's costs Rs 65,000. PWD minister Rampal Singh owns a revolver, a rifle and a 12-bore gun, adding up to Rs 1.60 lakh. Agriculture minister Gourishankar Bisen owns a revolver worth Rs 85,000. Not all have disclosed makes.
School education minister Kunwar Vijay Shah disclosed a revolver and two rifles. Renewable energy minister Narayan Singh Kushwah has two weapons worth Rs 1.45 lakh. BJP leader with a MoS status Sharad Jain has a revolver worth Rs 1 lakh. Junior education minister Deepak Joshi has a revolver worth Rs 83,500.
Congress leaders like Ramniwas Rawat too have disclosed firearms. He has three. Rajnagar MLA Vikram Singh owns four weapons - a double barrel, a 30-06 rifle and.375 Magnum worth Rs 4.5 lakh. Govind Singh has three weapons. Five-time MLA Arif Aqeel has a rifle and a pistol. Arif Masood has a double barrel firearm. Vidhan Sabha deputy Speaker Rajendra Singh has a revolver, a semiautomatic US carbine and .315 bore rifle worth Rs 1.8 lakh.
According to affidavits submitted by candidates in these districts, most candidates either own a 12 bore or a 315 bore rifle. While some candidates have purchased weapons for their wives, two woman candidates from Dhar also own weapons. Some other candidates have ancestral weapons which have been in their house for many years.
The Dhar-Jhabua-Alirajpur region is known for production of illegal weapons. Criminals have easy access to guns here.
Badnawar candidate Rajwardhan Dattigaon of Congress feels weapons are important in tribal areas. "I have owned weapons for 15 years. I don't usually carry them because I have guards but in tribal areas, where safety is an issue, weapons can be useful for self defence," he said.
Congress rebel mother-son duo from Jobat -Sulochana Rawat and Vishal - own expensive weapons. "I had purchased the weapon in Kanpur during my term as Union minister. There was violence in the city at that time and it was for my safety then but the weapon is also useful in a district like Alirajpur where women safety is a big issue," she said.